Stuffed Bittergourd(Karela) Fry

*Stuffed Karela recipe* (source:Mom)

Bitter gourd, or popularly known as Karela in India, this vegetable is another of nature's bountiful gifts to mankind. It not only has fabulous, digestional properties, it is a storehouse of homeremedies for many common ailments. Varieties of this vegetable include those with very light, almost whitish green skin to the dark bottle green coloured skin. Some are almost a foot-and-a-half, while others are just about 2"-3" long. And of course there are many inbetweens. Any variety may be used, only time required for cooking them may vary as per type.
Surprisingly this vegetable can be converted in many mouthwatering dishes, which are neither as bitter nor as uninviting as the raw vegetable. Bitter gourd is eaten in many forms in practically every country.

Debittering of the vegetable is done in almost any recipe. It just cannot be eaten raw as it is, since the bitterness is quite unpleasant, and leaves a strong bitter taste in the mouth for hours and hours,if consumed raw as we do chopped or cucumbers,etc. The general procedure is to scrape off the gourd lightly, but not peeling it completely, just blunting out the big and small ridges. Then if desired top and tail by snipping them off with a sharp knife. Make a slit right through the length with a knife and take out the seeds completely . This is quite a lengthy procedure but done with little patience tastes delicious with rice and dal.

Ingredients:

1. Bittergourds (Karela)- 7 medium size
2. Oil for frying

For the stuffing:

1. Onions - 2(large)
2. Dry red chillies - 2
3. Bengal gram dal - 1/2 tsp
4. Urad dal - 1/2tsp
5. Mustrad seeds - 1/2 tsp
6. Jeera - 1/2tsp
7. Curry leaves - 4 to 5
8. Grated coconut - 1/2cup
9. Jaggery/sugar - 3tsp
10. Tamarind pulp - 1/2cup
11. Salt to taste

Method:

• Chop the bitter gourds into 3" pieces by scraping off the gourd and remove the seeds and apply salt and keep aside for a while.
• Heat 3tsp oil in a frying pan and fry the bitter gourd pieces until dark brown.Keep them aside till they are cool.
• Meanwhile slightly fry all the ingredients except curry leaves and mustard seeds and grind them into a coarse paste without adding water in blender.Add salt and jaggery or sugar to the paste as desired.
• Stuff the fryed bittergourds with the ground paste.
• Heat 2tsp of oil in a pan add mustard seeds,curry leaves and stuffed karela pieces and cook till the karelas are soft.

Tastes good with hot plain rice.

Upma(tomato bhath)

*Upma recipe*

No matter where you go in India, Upma is a hot favorite breakfast food! Originally from South India, this tasty dish can be eaten for breakfast, brunch or as a snack and is so wholesome you can even make a meal of it!

Ingredients:

1. Semolina/Upma rava - 1cup
2. Cooking oil - 2tsp
3. Curry leaves - 5to 6
4. Green chillies slit lengthwise - 2
5. 1" piece of ginger grated
6. Mustard seeds - 3/4tsp
7. 2 medium-sized onions chopped fine
8. 2 medium tomatoes chopped fine
9. Salt to taste
10. 2 cups water
11. Pinch of turmeric powder
12. Juice of 1/2 a lime
13. Chopped coriander to garnish - 2tsp.
    

Method:

• Heat a griddle or flat pan on a medium flame and roast the semolina lightly. Stir frequently and do not allow it to brown. Once done, remove onto a tray or platter and keep aside.
• Heat the oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chillies. When the spluttering stops, add the grated ginger and stir well. Cook for 1 minute.
• Add the onion and tomatoes and fry till translucent and soft.
• Add the water, turmeric and salt to taste and bring to a boil.
• Add the roasted semolina, a little at a time, stirring constantly to prevent any lumps from forming.
• Simmer and cook till the Upma is like a very thick porridge.
• After done turn off the heat and squeeze the lime juice over the Upma and mix well.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves at the end.

Bendakaya(Okra) & tomato fry

*Okra tomato fry recipe*

As far as i know it's a favourite to most of the kids. We can make Bendakaaya (Okra) fry, pulusu or okra(bhindi) mixed with onion tomato. Can be used in majjiga(buttermilk) pulusu also. This one is a simple one, one can have with hot hot rice or chapathi's , mix it with ghee in rice, tastes really good.

Ingredients:

1. Take okras cut them into small pieces
2. Medium sized onion - 1
3. Tomato - 1
4. Red chilli powder - 1tsp
5. Turmeric - pinch
6. Salt to taste
7. Coriander powder - 1tsp
8. Oil

For seasoning:

1. Urad dal - 1/2tsp
2. Bengal gram dal - 1/2 tsp
3. Mustard seeds - 1/4tsp
4. Jeera - 1/4tsp
5. Curry leaves - 4 count

Method:

• Take 2/3 tsp of oil in a pan, add seasoning ingredients and curry leaves for popu / tadka /seasoning.(In all our recipes seasoning is mostly the same.)
• Add onions and saute them adding pinch of turmeric powder, add tomatoes and cut okras and fry well adding red chilli powder and salt, after sometime add corriander powder .It's just as simple and tasty.

Eggplant in Mustard Sauce curry

*Eggplant in mustard sauce recipe*

Ingredients:

1. Purple egg plants - 4(medium size)
2. Turmeric powder - 1tsp
3. Sugar - 2tsp
4. Cloves - 2
5. Dry red chillies - 3
6. Oil for frying
7. Salt to taste

For mustard sauce:

1. Mustard seeds - 1tbsp
2. Garlic - 2pods
3. Ginger - 1" piece
4. Green chillies - 4-5

Method:

• Cut the egg plant into round pieces.Rub salt and turmeric into them and keep aside.
• Grind all the ingredients for the mustard sauce into a fine paste.
• Heat enough oil in a pan to deep-fry the eggplant pieces. Fry a few pieces at a time till the pieces are a light brown.Place on a paper towel to drain out excess oil.
• Remove the oil from the pan leaving only 2tsp.Add the cloves and red chillies and the mustard sauce to the oil and fry for a minute longer.
• Add the fried eggplant and sugar.Mix well.

Serve hot with rice or chapathi.

Idli chutney

*Idli Chutney recipe*

(from:Hubby)


Ingredients:

1. Gulla senagapappu - 1/2cup
2. Peanuts - 2tsp
3. Red chillies -2
4. Coriander seeds - 1tsp
5. Garlic - 1pod
6. Jeera -1/2 tsp
7. Salt for taste
8. Tamarind pulp - 1tsp
9. Turmeric - pinch
10. Oil for frying and seasoning

For seasonning :

1. Curryleaves 4 - 5
2. Bengal gram dal - 1 tbsp
3. Urad dal - 1 tbsp
4. Mustard seeds - 1 tbsp

Process:

• Heat oil in a pan and fry red chillies, gulla senagapappu,peanuts,coriander seeds,garlic and jeera.
• Grind all of them into a smooth paste along with tamarind pulp and salt by adding little water.
• Season with the above mentioned ingredients.
• Now the Delicious chutney is ready.

Very tasty chutney with idli or dosa.

Check out my recipe for Idli

Vankaya Pachadi(Roasted Eggplant)

*Vankaya pachadi recipe*

Ingredients:

1. Brinjal(Egg plant) - 1( large)
2. Onions - 2 (medium)
3. Tomatoes - 2 (small)
4. Tamarind pulp - 2tsp
5. Green chillies - 3
6. Coriander leaves - 2 tsp
7. Curry leaves - few

For Seasoning:

1. Bengal gram dal - 1tsp
2. Urad dal - 1tsp
3. Mustard seeds - 1tsp
4. Asafoetida - pinch

Method:

• Roast on flame the brinjal and deskin. Mash into a coarse mass and add salt.
• Take oil in a pan and add the seasoning ingredients and to this add cut onions,tomatoes,green chillies,tamarind pulp and curry leaves and fry them till soft .
• To this add the brinjal mass and cook for 5min.
• Garnish with coriander leaves at the end.

Muli Sambar

* Muli Sambar recipe *

Ingredients:

1. Redgram dal - 1cup
2. Mullangi((radish) - 1
3. Big onion - 1
4. Small tomatoes - 2
5. Jeera - 1tsp
6. Sambhar powder - 2tsp
7. Tamarind pulp - 2tbsp
8. A pinch of asafoetida
9. Salt to taste
10. Small bunch of curry leaves
11. Coriander leaves - 2tsp

Method:

• Wash and cook Redgram dal in the pressure cooker till soft. (3 whistles).
• Heat the oil in a pan,and put jeera and mustard seeds and asafoetida. When they start spluttering put the finely chopped onions and saute them.
• Wash curry leaves and put them along with the onions.
  Then put diced tomatoes and sliced mooli. Mix them with the spoon and keep on the heat for 5 minutes till the mooli becomes soft.
• Put the sambhar powder, red chilli powder and salt. Then add the the tamarind water and add cooked dal and boil it for 15 minutes keep stirring occationally.
• Garnish with coriander leaves at the end.

Serve it hot with rice or Dosa or idlis.

Soya chunks Pulav

* Soya chunks Pulav recipe*

Ingredients:

1. Soya chunks boiled -1 cup
2. Rice - 2cups
3. Carrot -1cup
4. French beans - 1cup
5. Green peas - 1/2 cup
6. Cloves - 3
7. Green chillies - 2
8. Onion - 1 (large)
9. Oil - 2tsp
10. Salt to taste
11. Butter/ghee - 1tsp
12. Curry leaves - few
13. Coriander leaves - 1tsp

Method:

• Boil rice in water separately.
• Heat oil in pan, add cloves,curry leaves,chopped green chilli,beans ,peas and onion.Fry till the vegetables are soft.
• Add boiled soya chunks and salt .Cover the pan and cook for another 10 min.
• To this add rice and ghee and mix properly.
• Garnish with coriander leaves at the end.

Patoli(Moong dal & Cluster Beans) curry

* Goru Chikkudu kaya curry with Moong dal recipe*

Ingredients:

1. Goruchikkudu kayalu(Cluster/Gawar beans) - 2cups
2. Moong dal - 1 cup
3. Onion -1(medium size)
4. Green chillies - 3

For seasoning:

1. Mustard seeds- 1/4 tsp
2. Curry leaves - 4 count
3. Hing -pinch
4. Oil - 5tsp

Method:

• Cut the cluster beans into one inch pieces with ends stringed and boil them in a pot with 2cups water covered for 5min and quickly drain them in a colander.Do not overcook,they become flabby and tasteless.
• Soak the moong dal in 2cups water for 2hrs and grind it into a paste along with green chilles.
• Take a pan,add 3tsp of oil , add mustard seeds ,hing ,curry leaves .
• To this add the chopped onions .Fry until onions become brown and add the moong dal paste to this.
• Keep mixing until the paste becomes dry and add oil when required and finally add the boiled cluster beans and cook for another 5min.

Tastes good with rice or chapathi.

Mavidakaya pappu(Mango dal)

*Mavidakaya pappu recipe*

Ingredients:

1. Raw mango - 1 (medium size)
2. Toor dal(Kandi pappu) - 2cups
3. Green chillies - 4
4. Garlic cloves - 2 (finely chopped)
5. Coriander leaves -1tsp(chopped)
6. Turmeric powder - pinch
7. Salt - to taste

For seasoning:

1. Oil - 3tsp
2. Red chillies - 2
3. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
4. Cumin/Jeera -1/4 tsp
5. Curry leaves - 4 count

Method:

• First slightly fry the toor dal in a tsp of ghee /oil and cook dal and mango pieces in 2cups of water along with a pinch of turmeric ,green chillies and 1tsp oil in pressure cooker.( if you wish, leave the skin of mango as it is and cut into pieces but i like peeling off the skin )
• After the dal is cooked soft,mash the dal and add salt along with little water.
• Now for the seasoning, heat a skillet with 2 tbsp of oil, add mustard seeds, cumin and curry leaves when they splutter add chopped garlic clove and red chillies.
• To this add the dal and allow it to cook for 3min.
• Garnish it with chopped coriander leaves.
• Mango dal tastes wonderful with hot rice and mango pickle.

Bisi Bele Bhath

*Bisi Bele Bhath recipe*

Ingredients:

1. Rice - 1cup
2. Toor dal - 1/4 cup
3. Mixed vegetables like carrot,beans,potato,peas,beetroot ,Tomato,green chillies ,
4. onions - 1 cup
5. Tamarind - 1 (small marble size)
6. Turmeric powder - 1 pinch
7. Sambar powder - 1/4 tsp
8. Chopped coriander leaves - 3tsp
9. Butter or ghee - 3tsp
10. Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
11. Curry leaves - 8 count
12. Oil - 4tsp

To Grind:

1. Coriander seeds - 2tsp
2. Dry red chillies - 5
3. Jeera/cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
4. Whole pepper - 1/4 tsp
5. Chana/Bengal gram dal - 1tsp
6. Urad dal -1tsp
7. Methi seeds - 1/2 tsp
8. Cloves - 3 small
9. Cinnamon stick - 1 small piece
10. Cardamon - 1 count
11. Asafoetida - 1 pinch
12. Shredded coconut - 2tsp

Method:

• First boil rice with two cups of water and all the vegetables(without water) separately.
• Cook Toor dal with water,pinch of turmeric and little oil in a pressure cooker.
• Take 1/2cup of juice from tamarind piece by soaking in warm water.
• In a pan take half tsp of oil and fry coriander seeds ,dry red chillies,jeera,pepper,chana dal,urad dal,methi seeds,cinnamon,cloves ,asfoetida and the shredded cocount .
• Cool it and grind it like a paste adding little water.
• Now to the cooked dal add tamarind juice,salt,the ground mix,sambar powder and all the cooked vegetables and boil for 2 mins. To this add cooked rice and season with jeera,mustard and curry leaves at the end.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• This tasty bisi bele bhath is ready to eat with chips.

Cut Mango Pickle

*Cut Mango Pickle recipe*

Ingredients:

1. Raw mango - 1 (medium size)
2. Mustard powder - 2tsp
3. Red Chilli powder - 2tsp
4. Salt - 2tsp
5. Oil - 4tsp

Method:

• Cut the raw mango into small pieces and add mustard powder,chilli powder, and salt to it.
• Finally heat the oil a little and add to the above pieces.
• This is very simple pickle to make instantly and tastes good with hot rice.

Corn Chops

* Corn Chops recipe*

Ingredients:

1. Corn seeds - 1cup
2. Potatoes - 3 (medium size)
3. Bread slices - 3 to 4
4. Ajwain seeds - 1/2 tsp(vamu)
5. Red chillipowder - 1tbsp
6. Lemon juice - 1tbsp
7. Oil for frying
8. Salt to taste
9. Coriander leaves - 1tsp(chopped)

Method:

• Boil,peel and mash the potatoes.
• Soak the bread slices in water for a few seconds and squeeze out the water and add to the mashed potatoes.
• Mix in the corn seeds,chilli powder,lemon juice and coriander leaves.
• Add salt to taste and mix well.
• Shape into chops and deep- fry in oil till golden brown.
• Tastes delcious with tomato ketchup.

Bitter Gourd in Tamarind - Besan sauce

*Bitter gourd curry recipe*

(Karela/Kakarkaya curry)

Ingredients:

1. Bitter gourds - 4(medium)
2. Onions - 2 (large)
3. Tomatoes - 2(medium)
4. Green chillies - 4
5. Thick Tamarind sauce - 1 cup
6. Jaggery - small piece
7. Shredded coconut - 3tsp
8. Besan -1/2 cup

For Seasoning

( common for all vegetarian curries)

1. Bengal gram dal - 1tsp
2. Urad dal - 1tsp
3. Mustard seeds -1/4tsp
4. Jeera(cumin seeds) - 1/4 tsp
5. Curry leaves - few
6. Turmeric - pinch
7. Red chillies - 3
8. Oil - 3tsp

Method:

• Scrap off the outer ridge for the karela and cut them length wise and remove the seeds completely.
• Heat oil in a skillet and add the ingredients for seasoning.
• As the mustard seeds start spluttering ,add the cut onions,tomatoes , karela pieces , greenchillies ,salt along with tamarind sauce and little water.
• Cook till the karela pieces are soft.
• In the end add jaggery , besan (to have thick consistency)and shredded coconut.

Tomato Chutney

*Tomato chutney recipe*

Ingredients:

1. Tomatoes(medium) - 5
2. Green chillies - 4
3. Onions (medium) - 2
4. Chopped coriander leaves - 2tsp
5. Salt - to taste
6. Oil - 3tsp
7. Turmeric powder - 2pinches
8. Dhaniya powder - 1tsp

Method:

• Heat oil in deep fry pan and saute cut tomatoes,onions,green chillies
• After the tomatoes and onions are finely cooked add dhaniya powder,turmeric powder,chopped coriander leaves and salt .
• Let it cool for a while and grind coarsely in a blender.

Plain Dosa

*Plain dosa recipe*

Ingredients:

For Batter:

1. Urad dal - 1 cup
2. Rice - 2 cups
3. Poha/cooked rice - fistful
4. oil - 1tsp

• Soak the dal and rice for 7 - 8 hrs.
• Then grind it into a smooth batter using water in a grinder,while grinding add fistful of poha or cooked rice.

Preparing dosas:

• Add water and adjust the consistency,shoud'nt be too thick.
• Add salt to the batter.
• Heat dosa skillet/tava,apply a little bit of oil for the first time to the tava.
• Pour a ladleful of batter on the skillet and spread it out quickly in a circular motion as shown below.

• Let it heat for couple of minutes and then carefully remove using a spathula.
• Plain dosas with peanut or onion chutney or even coconut chutney is delicious.
• Check out my recipe for Peanut chutney.

Peanut Chutney

*Peanut chutney recipe*

Ingredients:

1. Peanuts/groundnuts - 1 cup
2. Garlic cloves -2(optional)
3. Tamarind (half size of lemon soaked in luke warm water)
4. Green chillies - 2
5. Salt - to taste
6. Oil - 2tsp
7. (For seasoning)

• Urad dal - 1/4 tsp
• Red chillies - 4
• Mustard seeds - 1/4tsp
• Curry leaves/chopped corainder leaves

Method:

• Take a tsp of oil in a pan ,add peanuts ,garlic cloves and green chillies and fry well.
• Powder the peanuts and salt in a mixie jar.
• Add greenchillies,tamarind pulp along with water to the above powder and grind well.
• Lastly season with urad dal,mustard seeds , dry red chillies and curry leaves.

Stuffed Ridge Gourd

*Stuffed Ridge gourd recipe*

Ingredients:

1. Fresh ridge gourds - 4
2. Red chilles -6
3. Jeera - 2tsp
4. Coriander seeds - 2tsp
5. Salt to taste
6. Mustrad seeds -1/4 tsp
7. Curry leaves - 4 to 5
   

For stuffing:

• Grind redchillies,jeera,coriander seeds into powder.
  

Method:

• Cut the ridge gourd into 1 inch pieces,slit each piece into four sections lengthwise for stuffing.
• Stuff the ridgegourd with the above prepared powder.
• Heat 2 tsp oil in a cooking dish. Add mustard seeds and curry leaves and to this add the stuffed ridgegourd pieces,cover and cook for 15 minutes till they become soft on slow heat.

Mushroom Fried Rice

*Mushroom Fried Rice recipe*

Ingredients:

1. 1 pk button mushrooms
2. 1 large onion
3. 1 cup beans
4. 10 carrots
5. 5 medium potatoes
6. 5 green chillies
7. cumin corainder powder - 1/4 tsp
8. clove-cinnamon powder - 1/4 tsp
9. 1/2 cup ghee
10. 2 cups basmati rice
11. 1 tsp chopped coriander leaves
12. salt to taste
13. 1/2 tsp turmeric
14. 1 cup coconut milk
15. 2 tsp Lemon juice

Process:

Heat oil/ghee in a deep sauce pan and fry onions and all the vegetables along with green chillies together till soft.

• Boil the mushrooms separately and add to the above vegetables.
• Stir in cumin-coriander pwd,clove-cinnamon pwd ,salt and fry for 5 minutes.
• Add pre-cooked rice and stir slowly and carefully for 2minutes.
  Sprinkle coconut milk and lemon juice at the end over it.
• Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Aloo - 65

*Aloo - 65 recipe*

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes - 5 (medium size)
2. Ginger-garlic paste - 1tsp
3. Garam masala - 1tsp
4. Chilli powder - 1tsp
5. Tandoori color - pinch
6. Salt to taste
7. Lime juice - 1tsp
8. Corn flour - 20g
9. Ajinomotto- pinch(optional)
10. Chillies - 6
11. Curry leaves - few
    

Process:

• Cut and boil the potatoes into cubes.
• Mix ginger garlic paste, chilli powder,garammasala,salt,tandoori color,ajinomotto,lime juice in the corn flour.
• Now add the potatoes in the above mix.
• Fry the potatoes as pakodis in oil.
• Later in the fry pan splutter chillies,curry leaves and finally mix the fried potatoes and remove from pan.

Gobi Manchurian

*Gobi Manchurian recipe*

Ingredients:

1. 1 medium gobi(cauliflower)
2. 1 cup Corn Flour
3. Salt to taste
4. Greenchillies chopped - 3
5. 2 tsp ginger garlic paste
6. 1 cup finely chopped onions
7. Finely chopped coriander leaves
8. 2 tsp soya sause
9. 2 - 3 tsp Tomato ketchup
10. 2 tbsp Oil
11. Tandoori color pinch

Method:

• Make a paste of corn flour and salt using water.
• Add a tsp of ginger garlic paste,color to the above paste.
• Dip the gobi florets in the paste and deep fry till golden brown and keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan and add the left ginger garlic paste, chopped onions, green chillies,soya sauce and tomato ketchup to it.
• Now finally add the fried gobi kept aside and mix well. Garnish it with coriander leaves.
• Gobi Manchurian tastes good served hot.

Vankaya Kothimeera karam curry

*Brinjal kothimeeera karam recipe*

Ingredients:

1. Brinjals - 10
2. Coriander leaves - 1bunch
3. Green chillies - 6
4. Cumin(jeera) - 2tsp
5. Tomato - 2 (medium size)
6. oil - 2tsp
7. Salt

For stuffing:

• Grind the coriander leaves, greenchillies,jeera and salt into a smooth paste.

Method:

• Wash and slit each brinjal into four sections length wise without cutting off the crown.
• Now stuff all the brinjals with coriander paste.
• Take oil in a pan ,cover and cook the brinjals for 20 min on slow heat.
• When the brinjals are cooked add the tomato pieces and cook till they are soft.
  

Lemon Rice

*Lemon Rice recipe*

Ingredients:

1. Basmati Rice - 2 cups
2. Lemons -2 (medium)
3. Salt - as required
4. Green chillies - 4
5. Ginger 1" (cut into small pieces)
6. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

For Seasoning:

1. Oil - 2 tsp
2. Bengal gram dal - 1tsp
3. Urad dal - 1tsp
4. Mustard seeds - 1/4 tsp
5. Red chillies - 4
6. Hing - as required
7. Peanuts - as required
8. Curry leaves - 1 bunch

Method:

• Boil rice (with 2 cups of water)separately and let it cool for a while.
• In a pan take oil and add the ingredients for seasoning. After the mustard seeds start spluttering add greenchillies,ginger pieces and turmeric powder.
• Mix salt in the lemon juice.
• and finally add the seasoning and lemon juice to the rice.